Located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, the penitentiary was once home to gangsters and criminals including Al Capone, Alvin ‘Creepy’ Karpis, and George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly. Now, archaeologists have used ground-penetrating radar data and terrestrial laser scans to non-destructively uncover a hidden military traverse underneath the prison. Led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, the team also made use of georectifications – where old digitised maps are linked to a coordinate system so that they can be accurately geolocated in 3D space – to locate and assess the historical remains.

The team’s methods revealed that remnants of buried structures – including a "bombproof" earthwork traverse along with its underlying vaulted brick masonry tunnel and ventilation ducts – ran east to west beneath the prison recreation yard.

"The remains of these historical archaeology features were just a few centimetres beneath the surface and they were miraculously and impeccably preserved," said Binghamton University archaeologist Timothy de Smet. "The concrete veneer of the recreation yard floor is incredibly thin and, in fact, in places sitting directly atop the architecture from the 1860s. We also learned that some of the earthwork traverses were covered over with thin concrete layers through time, likely to decrease erosion on the rainy windy island. It was wonderful to find the history just beneath our feet that we can visualise for the public."

Zetec Inc. will exhibit its latest ultrasound and eddy current technology for nondestructive testing of aircraft components and other critical aviation applications at MRO Americas in Atlanta from April 9-11 (Booth #4908).

Zetec, a global leader in NDT instruments, probes, software, and other solutions, will showcase two of its leading technologies for aircraft MRO:

- The MIZ®-21C handheld eddy current testing (ET) instrument with surface array capabilities can reduce inspection time by up to 95% compared to traditional handheld pencil probes, and the device’s ergonomic design and long battery life mean you can inspect more area without fatigue or lost productivity. The MIZ-21C is ideal for fast, efficient inspections of skins, stringers, frames, rivet holes, tubing, and other ferrous and non-ferrous components on the flight line. It is available in three models to meet a range of inspection needs and budgets.

- The TOPAZ®16 ultrasonic testing (UT) device delivers unmatched value for the most common aviation and aerospace inspection applications. Combined with the NDT PaintBrush® scanner, TOPAZ16 can be used to inspect metal and CFRP, where porosities, de-lamination, foreign bodies, and other indications can occur on the surface or within a particular layer of carbon fiber or in resin. TOPAZ16 sets the standard for value and versatility among portable phased array UT instruments, with a rugged casing, high-resolution multi-touch display, and fully integrated UltraVision® Touch software.

In addition to its product lineup, Zetec technical experts will demonstrate how to use MIZ-21C and TOPAZ16 to accurately and reliably detect cracks, corrosion, changes in thickness, and other indications in bolt holes, scarf-damage repairs, and CFRP honeycomb panels.

“With 31,600 commercial aircraft currently in service and a backlog of more than 17,000 aircraft on order, MRO managers face a growing challenge to keep existing planes airworthy for as long as possible,” said Wade Jenstead, Director of Sales - Americas for Zetec. “We’re excited to show the aircraft MRO community how Zetec inspection solutions can play a vital role in safety and compliance while reducing the cost of unplanned downtime.”

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Products Limited is adding to its offerings the New Sonic hardness testing equipment. A leader in sales and marketing of non-destructive testing products and services for over 30 years, NDT Products is proud to launch to the Canadian market a new line of high-quality, measuring equipment for hardness testing on metallic components and materials.

NewSonic is a manufacturer of the SonoDur line of mobile, ultrasonic contact impedance (UCI) method of hardness testing instruments, manual and motorized probes—all conforming to applicable DIN/ASTM standards. In addition to portable testing products, the company also offers testing equipment and custom-solutions for automated hardness measurement for production lines.

“We are excited to bring this new line of UCI hardness testers to the Canadian market,” according to M. Sean McKernan, President, and CEO of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Products Limited. Mr. McKernan adds, “Following the announcement of the discontinuation of GE Inspection Technologies portable hardness testers in 2017, we conducted a thorough search of an alternative product line that would meet our customers’ needs. We found that the New Sonic’s line of hardness testers and probes exceeded our requirements in terms of quality, technology, and serviceability.” NDT Products Limited is the exclusive distributor of the New Sonic hardness testing equipment in Canada.

Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science Corporation (Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science), a Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (TSE: 8036) wholly owned subsidiary engaged in the manufacture and sales of analysis and measuring instruments, has introduced a new accessible model of the popular X-MET8000 Geo handheld XRF analyzer optimized for soil and mining grade control applications. It offers unrivalled price-performance ratio with a rapid return on investment (ROI) allowing immediate on-site decision making rather than having to send samples for laboratory analysis.

Easy to use and designed to withstand the harshest environments and weather conditions, the X-MET8000 Optimum Geo offers results in seconds with real time data sharing for fast decision making. The revolutionary Boost™ technology delivers low levels of detection whilst the integrated GPS enables you to combine geolocation data with analyses results for flawless site mapping.

Share results, photographs and GPS coordinates on-the-go with the ExTOPE Connect app, whilst with the cloud service, you have real-time access anytime, anywhere to results. Results are stored on the analyzer, and can be downloaded to the USB memory stick or PC in a CSV or PDF format. You can also manage results from multiple X-METs with a single ExTOPE Connect account.

Mikko Järvikivi, Head of Product Management, said: “We’re adding another model to our popular X-MET range used by thousands of businesses around the world. The X-MET Optimum Geo complements our existing X-MET8000 Expert Geo handheld XRF analyzer by providing an alternative accessible option for soil testing and mining professionals. The X-MET8000 Geo range compliments other testing methods by saving time and money when it comes to on-site screening. More interesting and promising samples can then be selected for laboratory analysis to verify results.”

Applications exist where ultrasonic probes are required to be in place for long periods of time, sometimes in relatively extreme conditions. Typically, ultrasonic corrosion monitoring and ultrasonic flow metering place probes on a surface and take readings on a continuous or periodic basis. Water soluble gels eventually dry and the coupling effect is reduced and then lost. Innovation Polymers has developed a new ultrasonic couplant that permits long term probe placement without significant coupling losses. The material is a high viscosity liquid polymer with virtually no evaporation at normal working temperatures. The tacky texture makes it an effective pressure sensitive adhesive i.e. it forms a bond when pressure is applied.

Carestream’s Non- Destructive Testing (NDT) business has experienced rapid growth and is expanding operations in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA). In order to manage and support this growth, Philippe Moreau has joined Carestream NDT as the Regional Business Manager NDT for EMEA.

“We are excited to welcome Philippe to the Carestream NDT team. His skill set enhances and strengthens Carestream’s growing presence in NDT and in EMEA, and he has proven himself to be a successful customer focused leader in many markets and technologies,” said Marty Graen, Vice President and General Manager, Carestream Non-Destructive Testing.

Previously in roles of increasing responsibility at General Electric/Baker Hughes (a GE Company), Mr. Moreau brings 30 years of sales experience to Carestream including 25 years specifically in NDT film and digital radiography sales and consulting. This experience, combined with his deep knowledge of the region and market dynamics, will help drive business growth through exceptional customer service and technology solutions.

In addition, Carestream has appointed Thirugnana (Thiru) Sambandam as the new Regional Business Manager NDT for Emerging Markets, responsible for driving customer focused business growth in the Middle East, Africa, Russia and the Baltics. “Thiru is a high performing 21-year veteran in sales and operations for the Middle East and Africa markets. The key to his proven success has been a keen focus on customer needs and challenges. He will bring this same passion to this leadership role to enhance our focus on customer satisfaction and business growth,” said Mr. Graen.

About Carestream Health
Carestream is a worldwide provider of dental and medical imaging systems and IT solutions; X-ray imaging systems for non-destructive testing; and precision contract coating services for a wide range of industrial, medical, electronic and other applications—all backed by a global service and support network. For more information about the company’s broad portfolio of products, solutions and services, please contact your Carestream representative or call 888-777-2072, or visit www.carestream.com. To view Carestream’s latest news announcements, please visit www.carestream.com/news.

For those students taking a 2, 3, 5 or 10 day course ONLY: You will be receiving an invitation link to pay for your parking at a discounted rate. Please click the invitation link in that email to pay at your discounted rate. You need to provide details about the make/model of your car and the license plate. This way you can purchase the required parking pass now and avoid a daily visit to the parking machines.

If registering for a course last minute or have yet to receive an invitation link email, one can be processed on the first day of class, first thing in the morning, providing sufficient time to pay for parking. Or feel free to email info@cinde.ca and request one.